THE STEINHARDT CONTACT FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH LIFE SPRING 2011/IYAR 5771 VOLUME 13 NUMBER 2 THE JOURNAL OF THE STEINHARDT FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH LIFE

HEBREW IN AMERICA contact FROM THE EDITOR SPRING 2011/IYAR 5771 VOLUME 13 NUMBER 2 HEBREW IN AMERICA Eli Valley n its surface, Hebrew might seem to be irrelevant to the American experience. Despite Editor America’s status as a beacon to immigrants from all parts of the world, the nation was born and persists in the English . Even recent efforts towards bilingualism Erica Coleman focus naturally on Spanish, the language of the country’s largest contemporary Copy Editor O immigrant population. Hebrew would seem to be peripheral to the idea of America. Yakov Wisniewski And yet, from the country’s earliest inception, Hebrew was an important fabric in the tapestry of American Design Director life. Plymouth Governor William Bradford studied Hebrew, noting “a longing desire to see, with my owne eyes, something of that most ancient language, and holy tongue, in which the Law and oracles of God THE STEINHARDT were write” (Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation, Little, Brown, 1856). Several Ivy League schools FOUNDATION included Hebrew in their early curricula and insignia, and there was a movement at the founding of the FOR JEWISH LIFE Republic to incorporate and symbols in the nascent iconography of the nation. But in the ensuing centuries, Hebrew for the most part disappeared. American secularization, and an Michael H. Steinhardt attenuation of interest in classical studies in general, relegated Hebrew to Jewish liturgy and study. Chairman Might Hebrew make a comeback in American life? There are signs that offer hope to those who Robert P. Aronson champion a confluence of Jewish and American values. America’s enduring alliance with President points to a potential receptivity to the language of the Jewish State, and the incipient growth of Rabbi David Gedzelman Hebrew language charter schools illustrate the ways in which Hebrew and the American Executive Vice President experience might intersect. Perhaps most compellingly, hundreds of thousands of American Jews have experienced Birthright Israel, and many have signaled an interest in learning Hebrew on their Rabbi Irving Greenberg return. Although it is too soon to say where their interest will lead, the community would be Founding President remiss if it does not create opportunities for Hebrew education for all who wish to learn. Jonathan J. Greenberg z”l Articles in this issue of CONTACT explore the potential of the Hebrew language in American Founding Director society. From charter schools to public schools in general to Hebrew on campus to effective CONTACT is produced and pedagogies of instruction, the essays consider methods of making Hebrew more widespread in the distributed by The Steinhardt Foundation Jewish community and beyond. Taken together, they provide a thought-provoking overview of the for Jewish Life, 6 East 39th Street, ways in which the Hebrew language might become more commonplace in American life — and, in 10th floor, New York, NY 10016. turn, more potent and inspiring in the American Jewish community. All issues of Contact are available for download at www.steinhardtfoundation.org/journal.html Individual subscriptions are free of charge and Eli Valley are provided as a service to the community. To subscribe, please send your name and IN THIS ISSUE mailing address to [email protected].

Phone: (212) 279-2288 THE POSSIBILITIES AND POTENTIAL OF HEBREW IN AMERICA Fax: (212) 279-1155 3 Rabbi David Gedzelman Email: [email protected] Website: www.steinhardtfoundation.org 5 HEBREW LANGUAGE CHARTER SCHOOLS For media inquiries about The Steinhardt Sara Berman Foundation for Jewish Life, please contact TAGLIT-BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL AND HEBREW: Dan Gerstein at [email protected]. 6 THE ERA OF DREAMERS Copyright © 2011 by Gidi Mark and Barry Chazan The Steinhardt Foundation HEBREW: A GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN FOR JEWISH IDENTITY for Jewish Life. 8 Wayne L. Firestone CHARTING THE COURSE: HEBREW LANGUAGE The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life is 10 dedicated to strengthening and transforming IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS Ameri can Jewish Life to ensure a flourishing, Anne Lanski sustainable community in a fully integrated THE HEBRAIST MOMENT IN AMERICAN JEWISH CULTURE free society. We seek to revitalize Jewish 11 AND WHAT IT HAS TO SAY TO US TODAY identity through educational and cultural Alan Mintz initiatives that are designed to reach out to all Jews, with an emphasis on those who RX FOR HEBREW IN AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITIES are on the margins of Jewish life, as well as to 12 Jonathan Paradise advocate for and support Hebrew and Jewish HEBREW: A LANGUAGE REBORN literacy among the general population. 13 Joel M. Hoffman STATE OF THE FIELD: HEBREW TEACHING AND LEARNING Photographs in this issue appear courtesy of 14 contributors and the Hebrew Language Academy Arnee R. Winshall Charter School. THE ROLE OF PEDAGOGY 15 by Vardit Ringvald

2 C ONTAC T THE POSSIBILITIES AND POTENTIAL OF HEBREW IN AMERICA by RABBI DAVID GEDZELMAN

s Nicholas Kristof recently joked in with decoding prayer-book Hebrew without In many ways, for much of Jewish his- a New York Times Op-Ed, while a much understanding. Even in the Orthodox tory the Hebrew language has encapsulated A person who speaks three community and in the overall day school the intimate particularity of the extended is called trilingual and a person who speaks world, where understanding of classic Jew- family that is the Jewish People. The four languages is called quadrilingual, a ish texts in their original Hebrew and Ara- Hebrew language is the music that person who speaks no foreign languages at maic is central, fluency in modern Israeli expresses the aspirations, values and ways all is customarily called — an American Hebrew is far from a given. of being of the Jewish People. Like all lan- (December 29, 2010). American culture And yet, the Hebrew language has been guages, Hebrew has an historic relationship does not seem to lend itself to encouraging an essential element of the authentic Jewish to a particular community, people or body the acquisition of multiple languages experience since the Jewish People’s Biblical politic. Unlike most languages, Hebrew lost through its educational institutions and beginnings. The fullness of Hebrew expres- its function as a spoken language as a result otherwise. It should therefore come as no sion among the Jewish People has taken of the Jewish People’s exile from the land of surprise that the Jewish educational estab- varying forms and reached different levels at Israel. Hebrew was not used as a daily lan- lishment has had great difficulty in helping different times in history. Throughout the guage of conversation and life, but rather American Jews to master the Hebrew lan- history of the Diaspora, Jews would evolve was preserved only as a medium of study guage. Americans do not seem to place new languages which would blend Hebrew and prayer, written legal discourse and rit- great value on learning languages, so why with the language of the dominant culture ual observance. With the first stirrings of should American Jews differ? Mastery of in which they lived. It is difficult to know the Jewish national movement in the mid- Hebrew among the vast majority of Jews in what percentage of Jews at any time could 19th Century, a new literary approach to America has been limited to some facility read and write Hebrew, but it is safe to Hebrew developed. As Zionism became cen- assume that all who spoke Ladino and Yid- tered on creating a new society in the land dish had an intimate familiarity with choice of Israel, a movement to reclaim Hebrew as Rabbi David Gedzelman is Executive Vice President of The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life. Hebrew words and phrases. a spoken, lived language took root.

SPRING 2011 3 At the center of achieving a new sover- Jews in America have little fluency in the have not seen before. The enthusiasm for eign cultural reality for the Jewish People Hebrew language. At present, the Hebrew learning Hebrew may benefit from this shift. was the renaissance and resurrection of the language functions more to separate Israe- That the Hebrew in which they are inter- spoken Hebrew language. Reclaiming the lis from American Jews than it does to ested is not immediately tied to theological language of Israel was as important to the bring us together. For most American language and liturgical contexts, but is the Zionist enterprise as was reclaiming parcels Jews, Israel remains an abstract idea. As contemporary language of modern, secular of land in Israel. In a certain Zionist view, with any culture or civilization, ignorance Israeli society, makes it that more accessible one could only fully realize oneself as a Jew of its dominant language puts one in a to a mostly secular, albeit spiritually search- if one could begin to think, dream, speak position of distance from and inaccessibil- ing, population. and sing primarily in Hebrew. Educational ity to the texture of its life. All languages develop and change over structures, especially for the very young, For Americans, a Jewish Peoplehood time. The changes they exhibit reflect the were created with the clear goal of birthing a that connects them to the culture of Israel cultural developments and understandings new generation that would speak Hebrew as cannot be achieved if they remain ignorant of those who speak them. If sizeable num- its mother tongue. The deep connection of the basic element of that culture, the bers of American Jews do not avail them- between the Hebrew language and the very Hebrew language, which also serves as the selves of expression and understanding in place names of the land of Israel created an basic element of historic Jewish civiliza- the Hebrew language, then the future devel- immediate normalcy for speaking Hebrew in tion. Furthermore, it is hard to imagine opment of Hebrew will in no way reflect the American Jewish expressions making seri- American Jewish experience. Given the rela- ous inroads in gaining legitimacy in Israeli tive numbers of Israeli and American Jews Like any other element of eyes unless those expressions are made in and the possibilities for relationship, it is Hebrew by Americans who can speak, conceivable that Hebrew in the future could Jewish civilization, bringing write, read and understand the language. bear the stamp of that intimate relationship Hebrew into the public sphere Israelis justifiably can’t understand why as it changes and develops. they should respect an American rabbi’s But in the end, it is questionable whether in America has the potential to claim to Jewish legitimacy if that rabbi the vast majority of American Jews, who are bear fruit in a myriad of ways. stumbles in Hebrew. fully entrenched in the American open soci- The good news is that the tens of thou- ety, will embrace the Hebrew language if they sands of young Americans who have experi- continue to perceive Hebrew as parochial the land of Israel. Classic Hebrew was mined enced Israel through the Birthright Israel and inaccessible to their non-Jewish friends, for new applications in the modern era. program are coming back home with a pro- co-workers and family members. Just as the Modern pronunciation, vocabulary and syn- nounced desire to learn modern Israeli Alliance Francaise movement championed tax were consciously established. Words and Hebrew. This is unprecedented. These the learning of the for all phrases that had historically been inextrica- young Jewish Americans also have great who were interested and not just those of bly tied to religious ideas and structures interest in contemporary Israeli music and French origin, it is time to promote Hebrew began to function in secular contexts and art, which cannot be fully appreciated with- in America as the living modern language of uses. On the one hand, the resurrection of out a modicum of Hebrew fluency. Also, one of America’s closest allies, with both con- Hebrew as a modern spoken language was they have grown up in an American context temporary and ancient import, not just for miraculous; on the other hand, the process that assumes a multicultural enthusiasm for American Jews but for everyone. Otherwise, was intentional and disciplined. Creating a exploring new possibilities of identity. In a large segment of American Jews may not new Hebrew speaking society took revolu- other words, the sub-cultural milieu shared see its value. As the spoken language of a tionary discipline on the part of the early by highly educated, sophisticated Ameri- modern, economically vital and burgeoning pioneers. As early as the 1880s, Eliezer Ben cans, in which most Birthright Israel partici- member of the community of nations, Yehuda set out to systematically reclaim pants take part, is one that is past the Hebrew can be promoted as giving great Hebrew as a spoken language. This included melting pot ethos of the last generation. It added value to anyone excited to learn it, no his personal decision to speak only Hebrew values cultural difference and experimenta- matter what that individual’s religious, com- with his closest family members. In 1890, he tion. This cultural milieu is also less prone munal or ethnic identity might be. Like any established the Committee for the Hebrew to eschewing the learning of foreign lan- other element of Jewish civilization, bringing Language. In 1900, it was renamed the Acad- guages than are other segments of American Hebrew into the public sphere in America emy for the Hebrew Language as it set out to society. In the end, Kristof’s observation is has the potential to bear fruit in a myriad of actively and officially transform and secular- not completely true of all Americans. It is ways. It makes it that much more attractive ize Hebrew for use in the Yishuv. certainly not true of Kristof and it is not for American Jews to embrace Hebrew if they Less than 100 years after Ben Yehuda absolutely true of that highly educated know that others are interested in the lan- began his work, language small segment of Americans in which Jew- guage as well. What’s more, Hebrew in the emerged completely as the natural and full ish Americans, especially the young, are dis- public sphere will encourage more Ameri- day-to-day medium of Israeli life and cul- proportionately represented. They do learn cans to develop a personal appreciation for ture. It carries with it a texture that speaks languages when doing so is exciting, con- Israel, its life and culture. More than any- at every moment of the reality of a contem- necting and culturally enhancing. It just thing, though, a light of nations with a liber- porary Peoplehood, a shared sense of might be that this appreciation for the cul- ating message of wisdom for the world can belonging and familial connection, while turally different and exotic will help make hardly bring forth that message if its central conveying a myriad of references to classic the current generation of American Jews civilizational medium, its language, remains and ancient ideas, constructs and memories. more open to Jewish particularism in the unknown, inaccessible and foreign. The time At the same time, the vast majority of context of the universal in ways that we is ripe for Hebrew in America. ■

4 C ONTAC T HEBREW LANGUAGE CHARTER SCHOOLS

by SARA BERMAN

or more than three years, I have been guage in a way that has almost never been use in public contexts if those elements have intimately involved with the creation done before in American elementary educa- multiple meanings and uses. For example, the F of Hebrew language charter schools. tion. Our goal is for our students to eventu- term “Mission Statement” has Christian ori- These are public schools that offer an immer- ally be able to speak Hebrew comfortably, gins, but it has certainly evolved a clearly sec- sive dual-language curriculum for children of and to move beyond the basics of reading ular usage appropriate to a public context. all backgrounds. They focus on Modern and writing. As public schools, Hebrew Char- Secular Zionism involved a deliberate and Israeli Hebrew and culture while emphasiz- ters must teach Hebrew without in any way purposeful process of the secularization of the ing academic excellence. encouraging the Jewish religion or, for that Hebrew language over a long historical period. My impetus in spearheading this work matter, privileging the particular identity of Using Hebrew terms in a secular way in a has been two-fold: Aleph, I love the Hebrew any one child over that of any other. This is public school is appropriate even if those language and want to see it accessible to a how it should be. By teaching Hebrew in a terms might also have religious origins and much broader range of Americans; Beit, I public context that does not favor any partic- usage. In addition, there is nothing inappro- believe in the value of increasing the options ular identity or religion, the language is made priate about carefully teaching students in a and choices for excellent public education all the more broad, universal, relevant and public school about the religious origins of available to all parents and children. So when accessible to Americans at large. particular Hebrew terms any more than it my family’s involvement with the Areivim At our schools, Hebrew is not taught in a would be inappropriate to explain the Biblical Philanthropic Group led me to chair a work- vacuum. We use the proficiency approach allusion of the title of Steinbeck’s Grapes of ing group exploring possible projects in the and believe that languages are best learned Wrath in a public-school English class. Char- area of formal education, I was excited to try using the authentic materials of the places in ter school authorizers and their legal counsels to understand the potential innovations we which they are spoken. The teaching of the in four states understand this, as do scores of could generate if we helped open many culture, atmosphere and rhythms of life in public school districts across the country that Hebrew charters across the country. the modern secular state of Israel goes part have allowed the teaching of the Hebrew lan- We started by developing an application and parcel with teaching Modern Israeli guage in their public schools for decades. for a Hebrew language charter school in Hebrew. Doing so in public schools also fos- I often dream of what the graduates of Brooklyn, New York and simultaneously ters an appreciation for and understanding of our Hebrew language charter schools will began developing a plan and proposal for sup- Israel that is much more relevant and accessi- look like 20 years from now. I see them as a porting the development of such schools ble to Americans. vanguard of understanding for Israel and for nationwide. The Hebrew Charter School Cen- There are those who question whether it is cultural respect and sharing in general. I see ter, Areivim’s first project, was born just a few possible to teach Hebrew in a public school them as part of a new sense of the portability months before the Hebrew Language Academy while safeguarding the separation of Church of the Hebrew language outside of Israel. But Charter School in Brooklyn opened its doors. and State. Of course, Hebrew has profound the work of the Hebrew language charter We are moving fast and aggressively, as this is historical connections to religion, but all lan- school movement will be incomplete if it an opportunity that just can’t be missed. guages have such connections. Children from does not find its complement in a broader Our schools will teach the Hebrew lan- all backgrounds learn Greek without having movement for bringing Hebrew to America. I any relationship to Greek Orthodoxy. And the look forward to finding partners who are Sara Berman is Chair of both the Hebrew Language same goes for and Catholicism. Ele- excited to champion Hebrew in new and Academy Charter School in Brooklyn, New York and ments of language may have religious origins, fresh ways. This beautiful and robust lan- the Hebrew Charter School Center. but that does not entail their preclusion from guage deserves nothing less. ■

SPRING 2011 5 תג

TAGLIT-BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL AND HEBREW: THE ERA OF DREAMERS by GIDI MARK and BARRY CHAZAN

A HAPPY STORY Israel a feeling of gratitude. They labored among Birthright Israel participants. here is consensus today that Taglit- diligently to create a financially viable and The interest in this subject is revealed Birthright Israel is one of the impor- educationally significant enterprise, and by such oft-repeated but still gripping T tant developments of the last the evidence seems to point to great suc- statements as “Wow, even the dogs and decade in terms of affecting Jewish identity cess. Much success can be attributed to cats speak Hebrew,” and by the ongoing and the connections between Israel and thoughtful planning, hard work and trial research findings of Brandeis ’s world Jewry. This naturally gives the and error. But it must be said that some of Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies founders and professionals of Birthright the success is the result of surprises and that one of the most powerful take-backs discoveries that surfaced along the way. of Taglit participants is the desire to Gidi Mark is the International CEO of Taglit-Birth- One of these surprises is related to study Hebrew at their or at right Israel. Before 2008, he served as the project’s Hebrew language and culture. an ulpan upon return. In short, exposure International Director of Marketing and Community to Hebrew culture plays a much bigger Relations. Mr. Mark joined the project at its inception after leaving Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where SURPRISE, SURPRISE role in the Taglit experience than any of he served as a diplomat in New York, Germany and Early on and increasingly throughout us had realized. Turkey. Barry Chazan has been International Director the program, various sources — of Education of Taglit-Birthright Israel since its incep- research, anecdotes, and program evalua- FROM HEBREW SCHOOL TO tion. He is Professor Emeritus of Education of the tion — pointed to the impact of HEBREW HAMBURGERS Hebrew University of Jerusalem and author of books and articles on Jewish education, moral education and experiencing Hebrew as a living lan- What is it about coming to Israel for ten Israel education. guage of a modern Jewish country days on Taglit that turns the “unhappy”

6 C ONTAC T subject of Hebrew into a new beacon for today all trip organizers have realized identity, and mastering a language is young adult Jews? the potential of Hebrew, and each incor- changing one’s self in some way. The In order to answer this question, we porates it in its own way). But we culture and oxygen of Hebrew may indeed must first ask what has been the general increasingly believe participants return have a viral effect on Taglit participants. experience of most American young peo- with some kind of a “Hebrew virus.” ple with the Hebrew language. For some, FROM TEN DAYS IN it was Hebrew school — a supplemen- WHY BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL ISRAEL TO A HEBREW tary school experience that has had a OFFERS NEW POSSIBILITIES CULTURE IN AMERICA checkered history. For others, it was rote Research on Americans visiting Israel So what might be the takeaway and chal- learning of an alphabet and word config- either on high-school or post-high lenge from the reality we have described? uration in order to recite blessings and a school trips emphasizes the power of the When returnees say “it changed my life” haftarah at one’s bar or bat mitzvah, or a visit. However, such research also reveals or “it transformed me,” they may be holy language studied in order to read one discordant note — the lack of con- referring both to what happened in the sentences in the prayer book or other tact with Hebrew culture and society. past ten days and to what could happen Jewish texts. For still others, it was a for- Samuel Heilman’s 1995 study of a high- in the months and years ahead. Perhaps eign language studied at the depth of school trip emphasizes its overall power, hidden in the “Taglit effect” is the awak- basic conversations about daily matters but also notes that young people live in ening of a new American Hebrew culture. (weather, family, holidays). All of these what the author describes as a kind of What if participants were to return with a are important and reflect the diverse American “bubble.” Research points to desire to learn Hebrew, and we were to efforts — under conditions that were not disappointment among overseas respond to that seriously? What if pro- always easy — of American Jewish edu- students that they had not improved gramming and activities after Taglit were cation to teach Hebrew. their Hebrew: to encompass a major new national Taglit When young adults come to Israel, Hebrew ulpan community that would The 626 students interviewed by the they suddenly experience Hebrew as a spread across North America? What if we American Jewish Committee in the of a contemporary peo- late 1980s for its study on North were to utilize the sparks that clearly ple that is used to: American Jewish students at Hebrew have been ignited, and that the research • order food in restaurants University’s Rothberg International definitively documents, to create a fire of Hebrew interest? Maybe, just maybe, we • teach in universities School (RIS) “commented that their Israeli experience could have been might create the new Eliezer Ben Yehudas • discuss politics and theology more rewarding if more contacts were of Hebrew in North America. • buy jewelry established with Israeli students.” Ironically, this may be the most Hebrew University sociologist Erik promising resource for a Hebrew renais- • begin a relationship Cohen found in 1993 that 83 percent sance — thousands of young adults who Whereas in the past, Hebrew has of students wanted to study in Israel study Hebrew not because they have to most often been connected to ritual and to improve their Hebrew skills… in order to recite a haftarah, but because religion, the Taglit-Birthright Israel par- (Allison Good, “American And Israeli they want to because a spark has been ticipant comes to Israel for ten days and College Students: A Missed lit. Is it possible? Without being too suddenly sees and hears a society doing Opportunity,” The Jewish Week, grandiose, over 100 years ago they everything in Hebrew — fixing cars, December 28, 2010) laughed at Herzl when he spoke about a praying, playing, ordering a hamburger, In its own way, Taglit-Birthright Jewish State. They laughed at Eliezer arguing about the meaning of life and Israel remedies these problems. Partici- Ben Yehuda when he said “Ivri, daber trying to hook up with a friend or set up pants do not spend ten days in an iso- Ivrit” (“Hebrew person, speak Hebrew”). a date. Hebrew becomes linked to life lated bubble. While they are part of a Many laughed in the late 1990s when and people. Research has made it clear group and the group is the central envi- the State of Israel, Jewish philanthropists that Taglit participants return with many ronment, the group is in Israel. It travels, and Jewish communities said they were things — closeness to Israel; a greater sees and hears Israel firsthand. Second, going to try to crack the logjam of non- ability to explain Israel; a greater feeling and even more important, Taglit partici- travel to Israel. for the linkage of Jews, Judaism and pants live with Israelis for five days or Maybe Saul Tchernikovsky was right Israel; and a general heightened “Jewish more. They may interact in English but when he said, “Laugh laugh at all my feeling.” they breathe, hear and even experiment dreams, I the dreamer tell you they will What has not yet been studied in Modern Hebrew. Taglit-Birthright come true” (“Creed,” reprinted in enough — but which we believe to be Israel is an Israel experience as well as a Selected Poems, Jewish Education Com- true — is the conscious and sub-con- Hebrew experience. mittee, 1944). Maybe laughing at appar- scious impact of breathing “Hebrew What is even more surprising is the ently big dreams is a precarious and oxygen” and hearing “Hebrew voices” — impact this seems to have on participants’ doubtful road to take. One man at the one of the most powerful experiences consciousness. Young adults seem to beginning of the last century and a Israel provides. Let us be clear and hon- understand better than others the integral group of people at the end of the last est: Taglit participants do not learn connection between language and sense of century may have renewed the long- Hebrew in ten days, and this is not one self. They want to learn Hebrew because standing credibility of the Jewish people ■ of Taglit’s overtly stated goals (although they seem to realize language is part of as a nation of Hebrew dreamers.

SPRING 2011 7 HEBREW: A GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN FOR JEWISH IDENTITY

by WAYNE L. FIRESTONE

The trends we are hile the Jewish world bemoans HEBREW ON THE QUAD the increasing secularization In its most crude form, college students are seeing on increasingly W and apathy among young Jews, wearing Hebrew, quite literally, on their Hebrew presents an opportunity for stu- sleeves. Transliterations of the names of dents to explore Jewish identity in their their alma maters (Duke, Stanford and global and diverse own language. Yale) and sometimes even their political Over the past decade, the Jewish people candidates adorn their t-shirts and sweat- college campuses have unwittingly launched a marketing shirts as they cross the campus quads. A campaign for a seemingly fledgling enter- decade ago, personal affinities were represent an oppor- prise: Hebrew. To the best of my knowl- expressed in English with catch phrases edge, this campaign has been generated like “Shalom Y’all,” “Israel Is Real” and tunity to reignite a without a plan or a budget, and without “Super Jew.” Now, it is commonplace to see an organization or university devoting young people expressing their affinity pub- universal connection significant resources or energies to it. licly in its Hebrew form: Tzahal, Hadag Yet from what I have seen on university Nachash and Magen David Adom. The Alef to the language of our campuses across the United States and Bet has been dusted off and is now strut- around the world, I can testify that this ting around campus. ancestors and of our grassroots campaign is working to engen- Wearing a t-shirt certainly does not con- der a linguistic and cultural resuscitation note a deep understanding of Hebrew, but it Israeli friends and of Modern Hebrew. does demonstrate that students are encoun- tering the language and its culture at uni- family. Wayne L. Firestone is the President of Hillel: The versities and in other public settings. Some Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. are exposed to it as a study text during a

8 C ONTAC T Yehuda Amichai nor the grammatically dents today are open and connected to correct language of Ben Yehuda, but the world, and they are exploring their rather the awkward, accented Hebrew of identity and culture in entirely new a foreign tongue, struggling to claim Jew- ways. The increasing interest in and ish roots and to forge individual identity. awareness of Hebrew presents an acces- sible means to connect to the Jewish THE SEARCH FOR people and civilization — our people’s AUTHENTIC IDENTITY past, present and future. For some it Life on campus is more global and cultur- may require spending additional time in ally diverse than ever before. Ethnic par- Israel in ulpan classes. Others can access ticularism and authenticity are, though I the language immediately through their am hesitant to use these terms, “relevant” gadgets, friends and the resources avail- and “cool.” Current students comprise able to them on campus. In any case, we the most ethnically diverse generation to must re-imagine Hebrew’s potential to attend college, and, as such, are much spark curiosity, growth and identity more familiar with foreign cultures. Also, building, in turn inspiring an enduring the number of students studying abroad commitment to Jewish life. has doubled in the past decade, sparking increased interest in exotic places and for- ANCIENT TRADITION AND eign languages. At the same time, lan- CONTEMPORARY IDENTITY guage has become more accessible, with We need to recognize the Hebrew lan- new technology placing language tools in guage as a valuable portal for self-explo- service learning trip to post-Katrina New the hands of curious students who tote ration and Jewish identity building by Orleans; others encounter Hebrew texts iPads and smart phones equipped with encouraging students to understand the and the ancient letters in an academic programs like Google Translator and meaning behind their names, to connect context through Judaic studies and Mod- Babel Fish. This broader context has pro- to other Jews around the world, and ern Hebrew courses. Hillel professionals vided an opportunity for new exposure to even to delve into the mystical dimen- in countries from to Argentina Hebrew as the shoresh, the root, of an sions of Gematria, kabbalistic numerol- connect with students and colleagues ancient civilization as well as a modern ogy. The success of such exploration through Hebrew in songs, prayers and culture. certainly relies on programmatic solu- cultural celebrations, and here in the U.S., Ahad Ha’am recognized that Hebrew tions, but more importantly requires an Sochnut-trained Israel Fellows use is “a language that lives not (only) in attitudinal shift in how the Jewish com- Hebrew to teach about Israeli culture. In books, but in the mouths of people” munity thinks about the Hebrew lan- one of these informal sessions at the Uni- (Ahad Ha’am, The Battle of Languages, guage and what it holds for our people: versity of Florida, the translating of a 1906). A hundred years ago, the linguis- a deep connection between our ancient Meir Shalev description of the prepara- tic battle between Hebrew, Yiddish and tradition and our contemporary expres- tion of an Israeli goat-cheese sandwich German was viewed as a zero-sum game. sion of Jewish identity. even generated a campus-wide demand Hebrew had been preserved as the As someone who moved to Israel with for the culinary creation. ancient language of the Bible and Jewish only a very basic understanding of the lan- Proud Jewish students are using scholarship, but it lay dormant in the guage, I understand that learning and Hebrew quotes and Hebrew names in mouths of its people. In Israel today, studying Hebrew is hard. Perhaps Hebrew their Facebook profiles and tweets, and Modern Hebrew is alive and well, thriv- is not the first or easiest way to engage a Masa Israel Journey interns recruit their ing in a new era and amidst a new cul- student in search of Jewish connection. Yet peers to experience the language in its ture. Yet many are disheartened by a lack as an educator and professional, I know homeland. In the past decade, we have of emphasis on the Hebrew language in that often the most difficult challenges seen a huge increase in the number of the Diaspora, particularly in America. present the greatest opportunities for iden- students visiting Ben Yehuda Street via The trends we are seeing on increasingly tity growth in our students. Taglit-Birthright Israel trips, which have global and diverse college campuses rep- Today, fortunately, we do not have to brought over a quarter million young resent an opportunity to reignite a uni- relive Ben Yehuda’s struggle to create a Jews to Israel and continue to introduce versal connection to the language of our living language. Building on his success, a cultural facet of Judaism to a new gen- ancestors and of our Israeli friends and we can make Hebrew and its ancient let- eration. These students return to campus family. ters relevant and accessible to a new gen- not only with newly adopted Jewish Perhaps the driving force behind this eration of questioning young adults. This names and cool shirts they bought in the interest is Jewish Peoplehood, a desire is the generation to champion Jewish shuk, or market, but also as walking, for meaningful social connection to fam- identity, and they have tacitly lent their talking advertisements for our people ily, friends and community that extends marketing skills to the cause. Ironically, and our language. far beyond one’s local context. Inherent now the emerging question is whether we No, this is not the poetic Hebrew of in that desire is a search for identity. Stu- can understand their language. ■

SPRING 2011 9 CHARTING THE COURSE: HEBREW LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS by ANNE LANSKI

id you really happen, or was it only a dream?” 3. There are divergent levels of competency in Hebrew, in teach- (Rachel Bluwstein, “Perhaps,” reprinted in Flowers of ing experience and in second-language acquisition training ‘‘DPerhaps: Selected Poems of Rahel, Menard Press, 1994) within the teacher population. There is a lack of professional It really happened. I went to public high school. My favorite development opportunities tailored to these teachers. class was Hebrew. It was fun, not too difficult and most impor- 4. The teachers were extremely appreciative for the opportunity tant, over the course of four years, it was the class in which I to come together. They expressed willingness to be part of a learned the most — about myself and the place I belonged. community of colleagues and are truly committed to making Twelve years later, I was teaching Hebrew in New Trier high their programs the best they can be. school, a public school in Winnetka, Illinois. Hebrew language and 5. Most students have the same Hebrew teacher for all four years of cultural immersion five days a week, imbedded into the everyday high school. Over the course of four years, teachers develop rela- life of teens, was an alternate universe to afternoon Hebrew School. tionships with students, with parents and often with students’ It was the class they looked forward to, and it was the learning that siblings, a phenomenon that is unique to the public high school felt most personally relevant within their school day. teacher/family relationship. This reality imbues a certain influ- On the Monday morning after Yitzhak Rabin had been assassi- ence in these faculty members that could be used to help direct nated, students entered the classroom without their books and sat students to continue their Hebrew studies and Israel engagement. silently. Hour after hour and class after class, they entered the room, needing to be there together. At the end of the day, 200 TOWARDS A NEW HEBREW students gathered for what ultimately became the school’s first EDUCATION IN NORTH AMERICA Israel Club meeting. The framework we have described — Hebrew in the public high THE MAPPING school — was a dream of some of the founding figures of contem- In 2009, the iCenter, an organization founded by the Charles and porary American Jewish education in the early part of the last cen- Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Jim Joseph Foun- tury. As we enter the second decade of the 21st Century, this dream dation and devoted to the advancement of Israel education in the has a chance of becoming a reality. elementary and years, conducted a national map- Teaching Hebrew in public high schools offers unique possibil- ping of public high schools that offer Hebrew as a ities that equal or even exceed other frameworks. Most important, option in their language curricula. it offers the opportunity for young people to gather within a The first point to note is that there is no systematic tracking of Hebraic and Israeli context on an almost daily basis, providing these programs. No one has compiled a list of schools, or created a consistency and daily contact which is critical in education. framework for teachers, or developed a set of central standards as In addition, teaching Hebrew in public high schools: exists for other language instruction. The programs are a scattered, • Makes Hebrew language and culture as legitimate and main- uncoordinated and unexamined resource. stream as all other subjects and changes its “supplementary” Through our own research, we located Hebrew programs in 30 nature high schools (and one junior high school) in 20 cities in more • Creates a social group of teens within a Hebraic- and Israel- than 12 states, including California, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, focused context, leading to positive social capital and valence Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Ala- • Offers the possibility of sophisticated language teaching using bama, Arizona and Connecticut. 21st Century resources and assessment Approximately 1,500 teens studied Modern Hebrew in public • Increases the possibility of travel to a country where Hebrew is high school Hebrew programs in 2010. Nearly one-third of these the spoken language students are in the greater Chicago area, where nine suburban • Offers the opportunity for creating engaging, extra-curricular high schools offer Hebrew as a foreign-language option. activities such as Israel clubs, and in some cases, school-wide We estimate that there are approximately 35 teachers teaching Israel programming. Hebrew in public high schools nationwide. The framework for teaching Hebrew language and culture in In May 2010, the iCenter conducted a workshop for public public high schools offers the possibility of a form of teenage edu- high-school Hebrew teachers from diverse communities across the cation that encompasses and transcends language. It might be country. Findings of that meeting included: regarded as an adaptation of the charter school principle to signifi- cant public school and suburban areas. This framework offers the 1. There had not been any previous convening of a national gather- potential for sophisticated language and culture teaching and ing of Hebrew teachers in public high schools. Many teachers learning, which would draw on the myriad of public education did not realize there was a community of colleagues across the resources and standards of excellence, attracting populations here- country they could tap into (with the exception of Chicago). tofore distant from Jewish and Hebrew education. 2. There are no standardized criteria or curricula developed spe- In order to make this happen, it requires a major strategic plan cifically for public high schools. Teachers adapt textbooks writ- and program. In addition to enhancing and expanding existing pro- ten for ulpan use in Israel, or textbooks written for college grams, there are new communities interested in having Hebrew students in the U.S. There is a lack of educational resources offered in their public high schools. The strategic plan could also that are useful, current and able to inspire students. provide communities with consultation and useful materials for advocating to their school boards and for enhancing recruitment. Anne Lanski currently serves as the Executive Director of the iCenter and is What if we could turn 1,500 students into 15,000 students? the Founder and former Executive Director of Shorashim. She is a former Ours is an era of looking differently inside the box to seek new public high-school Hebrew teacher and is regarded as a seminal figure in solutions to perennial challenges. Hebrew language and culture in making the mifgash an integral component of Israel educational experiences. the public high school is an exciting frontier. ■

10 C ONTAC T though living creative literature but of serious cultural liter- THE HEBRAIST MOMENT their lives in acy. Unfortunately, at the moment the very English, would notion of what it means to know Hebrew is a IN AMERICAN JEWISH possess a deep source of great confusion in American Jewish Hebrew cultural life. With the establishment of Israel and the CULTURE AND WHAT IT literacy. But the reported successes of the ulpan method in the embrace of middle of the previous century, the romance of HAS TO SAY TO US TODAY American cul- oral fluency, the capacity freely to converse in ture proved too Hebrew in a contemporary idiom, took hold in by ALAN MINTZ consuming and the American Jewish imagination. Thus the the writings of ability to speak Hebrew became the bench- he existence of an ambitious Hebrew lit- their Hebraist teachers too difficult and remote. mark of knowing Hebrew. Making speech the erary culture on these shores is one of It was in Palestine that an audience for Hebrew only criterion for success, I would argue, has T the best kept secrets of American Jewry. literature was exploding; and it was to this cen- had a profoundly harmful effect. This is not We know something of the Yiddish culture of ter that the American Hebraists hope to make a because speaking Hebrew is unimportant — to the “World of our Fathers,” but when it comes vital contribution from their populous yet the contrary! — but because speech is the spe- to Hebrew, our focus has been on the miracu- remote post in the Diaspora. Yet in the eyes of cific language competence least likely to be lous rebirth of the language in Israel. This is the dynamic literary modernism in Tel Aviv, the realized in America. The expectation of oral indeed a miracle that deserves our admiration, American Hebrew writers came across as too proficiency has created a standard that, almost but in thinking about modern Hebrew as a lan- romantic and old fashioned, and the tales they by definition, cannot be achieved. This one- guage owned by its new-old native land, we do told of bygone times in America irrelevant to dimensional definition of Hebrew achievement a disservice to our own cultural memory as the bloody national struggles unfolding in the has condemned many serious American Jews American Jews. Modern Hebrew had its own Yishuv and Europe. to a sense of frustration and pessimism about brilliant moment here before the Jewish state Precisely because these writers persevered learning the language. was established. If we hold some hope for in the face of these discouragements and pro- There must be a general rethinking of the Hebrew as a critical cultural resource for build- duced a rich harvest of American Hebrew liter- kind of Hebrew knowledge that is achievable ing the future of American Jewry, then it is ature, their work deserves our attention and and meaningful in America. This does not nec- surely important that we become aware of the recognition. The poetic component of this lit- essarily mean a “dumbing down” of expecta- existence of the literary and educational creativ- erature has been the subject of my academic tions, and the current news is not all bad. ity that preceded our efforts and come to know research over the past years and will be pub- Average day school graduates, for example, can- its main achievements and personalities. lish by Stanford University Press this fall not speak Hebrew with much fluency and often I am speaking of the Tarbut Ivrit movement, under the title Sanctuary in the Wilderness: A have a negative self-perception in that area for in both its educational and literary dimensions, Critical Introduction to American Hebrew Poetry. this reason; yet because they have spent many that flourished in the first half of the twentieth It will join recently published volumes by Ste- years reading Hebrew texts, the passive store of century. The movement was fueled by the ideal- phen Katz (Red, Black and Jew: New Frontiers knowledge they have acquired can be activated ism of young people who arrived in America in Hebrew Literature, University of Texas Press, and built upon in an intensive Hebrew-speak- before World War I and were influenced by Ahad 2010) and Michael Weingrad (American ing environment in Israel. It is much more diffi- Ha’am’s Hebrew-based cultural nationalism. If Hebrew Literature: Writing Jewish National Iden- cult to move in the other direction — that is, the territorial accomplishments of Zionism in tity in the United States, Syracuse University from spoken Hebrew to an understanding of those years were only fledgling and tentative, the Press, 2010), and it is much to be hoped that the sources of Judaism in Hebrew. I make this accomplishments of the new Hebrew literature through these efforts American Jews will get a point not out of partisan sentiment but to argue had already long been assured and burgeoning. glimpse into the Hebraist moment in their that when it comes to Hebrew in America, there In an age of dwindling religious belief and prac- communal history. are more assets and infrastructure than we tice, Hebrew was put forward as a reenergizing Beyond their historical contribution, these imagine. In the case of Jewish leaders who have axis of national renewal which, unlike territory, studies have relevance for urgent issues both not had the benefit of these intensive years of had the advantage of being portable and there- inside the academy and beyond. The most pal- schooling, it would make sense to approach fore suitable for becoming in America the back- pable presence of Hebrew in American universi- Hebrew not through its formal grammar but bone of a new cultural elite. These young ties is as a subject of foreign language through the concepts and values embodied in -of contemporary its three-letter roots. Computer-aided instrucא Hebraists captured Jewish education and pre- instruction. As the tongue vented it from becoming a Sunday-school reli- Israel, Hebrew is certainly a foreign language; tion has a vast potential for Hebrew learners of gious movement, creating instead the modern yet for the many American Jewish students who all types that has not yet been explored. Talmud Torah — and later the Hebrew study Hebrew as a heritage language, it is much In the end, the Hebraists may have been — with an emphasis on Hebrew, holidays, Torah, more. It is now, happily, an established tenet of wrong about Hebrew being the measure of all Palestine, and “customs and ceremonies.” foreign-language instructional theory that lan- things — this was the monomania that con- The Hebraists also set about to create a seri- guage and culture cannot be disentangled from tributed to their eclipse — but they were ous Hebrew literature that would engage some one another. The ramifications for Hebrew have surely correct in seeing Hebrew as the binding of the large themes of American history and yet to be thoroughly explored. Hebrew is the DNA of Jewish civilization. They understood culture. They wrote for two audiences, and in language of Israel today; Hebrew is the lan- the unique role of Hebrew as a bridge that the case of both they experienced harsh disap- guage of historical Jewish civilization; and spans many cleavages: between classical Juda- pointments. The Hebraists hoped to educate a Hebrew is also a language of intense creativity ism and the present, between religious and home-grown elite of young Americans who, on these shores over the last century. It would secular Jews, and between Israel and the therefore seem unnatural and even ludicrous Diaspora. They further understood that any -Alan Mintz is the Chana Kekst Professor of Hebrew that American students should be studying Jewish society that takes place largely in transב Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where Hebrew in America without some awareness of lation runs the risk of floating free of its tether he directs the Ivriyon, a summer Hebrew immersion all that was written here in that language. to Jewish authenticity. It is much to be hoped program for day school teachers, and Shoharim: There is a vitally critical role for Hebrew in that a revived interest in Hebrew in America Hebrew Fellows Program for JTS students. America, even if it lies in the domain not of will provide that integrity. ■ 11ר SPRING 2011 Rx FOR HEBREW IN AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITIES by JONATHAN PARADISE

ebrew is alive and well in Israel. Its to briefly greet us in Hebrew, as Ben Gurion used nurtured. Parents can train their children to Grandparents can .אמא and אבא amazing success story is not that of a to do. They must be told not to be ashamed to address them as .סבתא רחל and סבא יצחק H miracle but rather of historical circum- speak to us in Hebrew, and they should not repeat be referred to as ”.is coming for a visit דודה טליה stances and the dogged determination of a tiny their words in an English translation — just as the “Tomorrow ,לילה טוב and בוקר טוב portion of the Jewish People who were commit- Rabbis of an earlier generation did not translate Simple phrases like ted to its revival as a spoken language. the Yiddish quips or jokes in their sermons. Hebrew lullabies and other songs go a long way Hebrew in America, by contrast, presents a The bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah should be towards creating a Jewish home. Some families dismal picture. True, Hebrew language and liter- encouraged to prepare some brief remarks in may decide to just ask for foods to be passed in ature are taught in a great many colleges and Hebrew, and the Rabbi should speak a few sen- Hebrew while the rest of the table talk is in ”.חלב בבקשה“ — universities. And although enrollments of tences to the child in Hebrew. Again, no transla- English undergraduates and graduate students have tion. When a Hebrew-speaking couple stands One of my favorite suggestions is “Hebrew during their wedding and hears for Dogs!” For years our family had a series of חופה declined significantly in recent years, Hebrew under the still ranks far above most less commonly taught the Rabbi speak to them personally in Hebrew, dogs, each of them trained in Hebrew. All of our languages. However, it is the place of Hebrew as it sends a powerful message to all present. children’s friends knew the Hebrew dog com- a living language in our Jewish communities Hebrew is our intimate, Jewish language. mands, for that was the only way to restrain that needs urgent care. By “living language” I It should go without saying that Rabbis and them! mean a language that is used for communica- other public speakers should use the Israeli Finally, there may be some couples that tion — even brief communications between mode of accentuation so that those who have decide to make Hebrew their exclusive house- Jews in non-ritual contexts. All too often, learned some Hebrew in school will be able to hold language. That is an ambitious undertak- Hebrew is not the language that Jews choose as easily identify the words. Rabbis should be told ing, but one that some young parents are opting the medium to voice their hopes and intents to that they are not perceived as more authentic for (including the rabbi of my congregation, their fellow Jews. For this reason, Hebrew in when they use the Ashkenazi pronunciation. Beth El in Minneapolis). They should be sup- America lacks the genuine raison d’être that ported and celebrated. PUBLIC RECOGNITION FOR would motivate both young and old to learn to HEBREW ACHIEVEMENT speak and understand more Hebrew. In short, HEBREW IN THE SCHOOLS We can publicly celebrate the learning of Hebrew Hebrew as a spoken language is not necessary Why should it be surprising that one often by awarding prizes and certificates. Just as some in the American Jewish community, and so it is hears “kids hate Hebrew school”? Children synagogues give out the “golden kippah award” or in danger of withering through neglect. Jews in spend many years laboriously sounding out syl- a silver yad for torah readers, we can give suitable America are in danger of being an ethnic com- lables that have little or no meaning. They are awards to those who have achieved milestones in munity devoid of its language. There is always made to read texts that are often not age-appro- their acquisition of the Hebrew language. the risk that such communities fail to survive. priate. They gradually learn that it does not Yet there is much that we can do to reverse SPECIAL EVENTS matter if they understand what they are “read- ing” (of course this is not real reading!). What עונג שבת or קידוש this trend. Some of the following suggestions are We could declare that at the easily accomplished and are already practiced in after the services we will address one another is important is that they pronounce the words some of our communities. Others would be using our Hebrew names and greet each other correctly and at an acceptable pace. They learn innovations. None of them is beyond reach. in Hebrew. How about a dance for teens where to shut off their brains and not seek meaning as we talk as much Hebrew as possible? A Hebrew they trudge endlessly through the syllables. VISUAL STIMULI skit night? All of these activities used to be But there is another method of learning a The signs on the doors in our public buildings can common in many Jewish summer camps. language. It is a method that uses a simplified be bilingual. The boxes of kipot in synagogue lob- spelling system — the one used throughout SUMMER CAMPS כיפות bies can have the word on them. Invitations Israeli life. It is a method that teaches children to bar/bat mitzvah celebrations, weddings and Fed- I spent many happy summers in Camp Ramah to read words and sentences that already have eration dinners can be in English and Hebrew. The and Habonim Camps and had friends who went come to have meaning for them — just as was same can be true of the menus and programs. to Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute. Many of my the case when they learned to read English. It is friends acquired their Hebrew fluency in those a method of learning Hebrew that emphasizes a PUBLIC SPEECH camps. It seems to me that we can and should Who can forget the moment when President Clin- communicative approach to language learning, encourage these wonderful institutions to restore so that learning Hebrew is both meaningful and ton concluded his eulogy of Yitzhak Rabin with the and revitalize the Hebrew content in their camps. -rewarding. It is a method that places under שלום חבר words ? It became a bumper sticker and a Summer camps are ideal settings for creating standing and speaking ahead of reading and נחת source of . We need to encourage Israeli con- models of what our communities can become. It suls and ambassadors to devote 30 seconds or so writing. And finally, it is a method that makes is here that Hebrew songs, dances, dramatic pre- use of everything that has been learned about sentations and debate can flourish and build our teaching and learning languages. Jonathan Paradise, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of future community leaders’ knowledge of Hebrew. Hebrew at the University of Minnesota. He and his Making Hebrew our Jewish language in wife, Ruth, develop software for teaching and learning HEBREW IN THE HOME America will not be achieved through a miracle. Hebrew. He can be reached at jonathan@creativehe- Here is where the deepest attachment to It will come about only as the result of deter- brewsoftware.com. the Hebrew language can be established and mined, deliberate and planned efforts. ■

12 C ONTAC T HEBREW: A LANGUAGE REBORN by JOEL M. HOFFMAN

EXILE secular life. His ideas, published at age 21, founding the country’s first Jewish Sunday he Jewish exile at the hands of the earned him the scorn and mockery of the Jewish School. Gratz was addressing both the lack ofאבגדהו Romans in the year 70 drove the Jews out intellectual giants of the day and the charge of religious education and the general paucity of T of Jerusalem and nearly drove Hebrew sacrilege from religious leaders. But Ben Yehuda secular education at the time. Until the middle out of the Jews. plowed forward, undaunted. Perhaps because of of the 19th Century, education in America was Hebrew had been the combined spoken, his conflict with Eastern European Jewish reli- generally available only to the wealthy. written and holy language of the Jewish People gious leaders, Ben Yehuda generally opted for At first, Hebrew was nowhere to be found. for a millennium. And though it was already in Sephardi Hebrew pronunciation over the Yid- In a break with traditional Jewish learning, danger of decline by the year 70, the exile was dish-sounding Ashkenazi dialect as he worked Gratz’s school used English as its language of the nail in the proverbial coffin that seemingly to reinvigorate Hebrew. instruction. Like many German Jews of the time, sealed the fate of spoken Hebrew. Ben Yehuda and his wife forced spoken Gratz eschewed the particularistic elements in , already popular around the time of Hebrew upon their son, Itamar, who was born in Judaism, including a private language. Gratz’s the exile, largely replaced Hebrew, becoming not 1882 and a few years later became the first approach gave Jews a pathway to Jewish learning only the Jewish but, later, the lan- native speaker of Modern Hebrew. that didn’t demand that they give up their secu- guage of the Talmud. Other native speakers soon followed. The lar lives, but it came at the expense of Hebrew, As they spread around the world, Jews first Hebrew-speaking kindergarten in the world which wouldn’t be introduced until years later picked up various local dialects: in was opened in 1898 in the secular city of Rishon and with only limited success. Northern Africa; Arabic and Spanish on the Ibe- Le-Zion (“First to Zion”) in Palestine. It comple- Gratz’s model of schooling endured and was rian Peninsula; German in Ashkenaz (modern- mented Yiddish-speaking schools in more reli- ultimately mimicked on a wide scale, producing day Germany); French, Russian and more. Two gious settlements like Petah Tikva (“Portal of the now ubiquitous synagogue-based Hebrew of these, in particular, proved so popular that Hope,” a reference from the Book of Hosea, Schools. (The public-education movement in even as Jews continued to migrate, they took where the phrase represents the redemption of America hindered the establishment of Jewish with them their new linguistic apparatus. The Israel). The model in Rishon Le-Zion proved day schools, which didn’t become mainstream post-Crusade German from Ashkenaz (with successful, and by 1913 Palestine was home to until the middle of the 20th Century.) other influences) became Yiddish, and the Span- more than five dozen Hebrew-speaking institu- How did Hebrew enter the field? In an ish from 15th-Century Spain became Ladino. tions. Only a university was lacking. endearing quid-pro-quo, the Hebrew-speaking Even a century and a half ago, Jews gener- So as the German-oriented Hilfsverein der movement in Israel (which had been bolstered by ally spoke a local language as well as either Yid- deutschen Juden (Benefit Society for German Jews) the Americans on the Technion’s Kuratorium) fos- dish or Ladino. Hebrew was primarily a holy was completing the construction of a university tered an eventual love of Hebrew in America. As tongue, the language of Torah and prayer and, to to be called the Technikum, many people wanted Zionism grew, thanks in part to American leaders a lesser extent, a medium of high art. But there Hebrew to be the language of instruction. After such as Louis Brandeis, so did the Hebrew lan- was no significant established community using all, French had all but disappeared from the edu- guage in America. Hebrew schools and, later, day Hebrew as the language of daily discourse, and cational scene in Palestine, despite Baron de schools, became the vessels through which most no reason to think that — after nearly 2,000 Rothschild’s enormous financial influence. Cer- American Jews were exposed to Hebrew. years of disuse — Hebrew would ever regain tainly German could be replaced by Hebrew, too. Americans generally continued to learn the that role in Jewish life. Hebrew, like Latin, was The Technikum’s Kuratorium (board of trust- familiar European Ashkenazi dialect of Hebrew. largely assumed to be a language of the past. ees) disagreed, however, insisting instead on It would take the Six Day War in 1967, which German. almost destroyed the fledgling state of Israel, to THE PATH TO REBIRTH In February 1914, just as construction on the push American Hebrew into alignment with the IN ISRAEL Technikum was coming to an end, the American Hebrew spoken in Israel. But even with this Into this context a man named Eliezer Yitzhak members of the Kuratorium switched sides in the reinforced cultural connection, few Americans Perelman was born in January, 1858. His life language debate and opted for Hebrew over Ger- learned to speak Hebrew, instead by and large would take him from the village of his birth in man. In response, the founders of the Hilfsverein relegating the language to the realm of liturgy. Lithuania to Palestine, and his ideas would put resigned and even tried to scuttle the whole proj- him at the forefront of a modern miracle. ect. But it was too late. Though the school THE LIVING LANGUAGE Known better by his assumed name of remained closed during World War I, when the OF HEBREW Eliezer Ben Yehuda (Eliezer “son of Judah”), he doors finally opened in 1924, the institution had Today, Modern Hebrew has become the national proposed the then-absurd idea that Hebrew assumed a Hebrew name: the Technion. And the language of the Jewish State, the language of should be revived as a spoken language of daily, language of instruction was Hebrew. Noble laureates in literature and of teenagers text-messaging. THE PATH TO REBIRTH Indeed, the Hebrew most people thought to Joel M. Hoffman, Ph.D., is author of In the Begin- IN AMERICA ning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language be dead was really just dormant, waiting patiently (NYU Press, 2004). His most recent book is And God Two decades before Eliezer Ben Yehuda’s birth, a to surprise the world as part of a modern-day Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original woman named Rebecca Gratz looked around her miracle that the Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer Meaning (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, home city of Philadelphia and lamented the compared to “thousands of shining suns.” In liv- 2010). He can be reached through his website at “mental impoverishment” of the Jews. A promi- ing proof of her words, of course, Shemer wrote www.Lashon.net. nent voice in her community, she responded by in Hebrew. ■

SPRING 2011 13 STATE OF THE FIELD: HEBREW TEACHING AND LEARNING

by ARNEE R. WINSHALL

s the state of Hebrew teaching and learn- achievement that are agreed upon by a pro- tive, non-collaborative spirit infuses their work. ing in the United States where it should fessionally recognized body, are based on Assessment, where it even exists in the I be? Are student outcomes meeting our research and the collection and analysis of ready-made Hebrew curricula, currently mea- expectations? Many educators and consumers large data samples and are widely used. sures whether students have learned items of Jewish education believe we have a long These, too, are the result of the interchange specific to the given curriculum, but does not way to go. Professionalizing Hebrew-language between researchers and practitioners as to necessarily measure a student’s proficiency. educators is crucial if we are to succeed at what student outcomes are possible. Very few of our Hebrew-language educators raising the bar and improving outcomes. So how does the field of Hebrew-language are equipped with reliable, standardized and In education, the growth of a field depends acquisition, teaching and learning in the benchmarked student-assessment tools. Less on a dynamic interaction between the experi- United States measure up? than two dozen educators in the United States ences of researchers and practitioners. This There are very few degree-granting gradu- have been certified in Hebrew-language profi- interaction is key to defining and pushing the ate programs in the teaching of Hebrew in ciency by the ACTFL, and less than half a boundaries of the profession. In fact, each ele- North America, and the enrollment in these dozen are certified as trainers. ment that characterizes a field is dependent on programs is minimal (e.g. Brandeis University, We must move away from our reliance on such interaction: the University of Maryland). The American a curriculum-based approach, which assumes • Standards for professionals, including certi- Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language that the teacher is not a professional but an fication protocols and academic degrees, are (ACTFL) offers certification in student assess- agent in the classroom who is incapable or ill- promulgated. This results when institutions ment for proficiency in most languages, equipped to take responsibility for Hebrew of higher education foster research and, in including Hebrew. At The Shoolman Graduate teaching. Instead, we must develop programs the case of education, develop teacher-edu- School of Jewish Education at Hebrew College, that prepare Hebrew-language teachers who cation programs based not only on theories there are Certification Programs for teachers of are well-versed in and familiar with learning but also on knowledge gained from research NETA (for grades 7-12). There are other pro- resources and who have the expertise and into teacher practice, learner outcomes and grams such as the Masters in Jewish Education authority to make teaching and learning deci- the relationship between the two. at Gratz College, where a few courses focus on sions for their students and their schools. teaching Hebrew but no track exists for While some of these criteria are partially sat- • At least one active and recognized pro- becoming a Hebrew-language teacher in par- isfied within the world of academia and institu- fessional organization exists to serve the ticular. This is indicative of the state of the tions of higher learning, there is virtually no interests of a significant percentage of pro- field: teaching Judaic subjects is lumped professional field when applied to Hebrew teach- fessionals in the field. Such an organization together with teaching Hebrew, and the teach- ing and learning in early childhood through provides the context for the interaction ers are expected to do both whether or not grade 12. Outside of the work associated with between researchers and practitioners in they have received adequate training. Dr. Vardit Ringvald and Hebrew at the Center in which research and field experience are There are few experts and little to no professional development and assessment and shared, challenges and successes are dis- research focused on advancing the field of professional development and certification asso- cussed and an agenda is set to move the Hebrew teaching and learning, promoting an ciated with specific curricula, there is little evi- field forward. understanding of the discipline and assisting in dence that the above criteria are being satisfied • Conferences are convened regularly to share the professional growth needs of practitioners. for Hebrew teaching and learning. expertise, research and issues facing the Currently, the only professional organiza- The funding community has reinforced field. The regularity of these conferences is tion in existence is the National Association of this situation by investing millions of dollars important as it sets the pace at which the Professors of Hebrew (NAPH). NAPH is com- in the development of ready-made curricula field develops and helps to keep the field prised of professors and instructors who spe- without requiring and funding significant dynamic. cialize primarily in the grammar and literature assessment and research into what works and • A range of publications and materials on of ancient, medieval and modern Hebrew. why. Some commitment of funders to Hebrew the research and best practices in the disci- Unfortunately, the expertise required for the has been demonstrated, albeit not enough. pline are published and disseminated. teaching of literature is not distinguished from The challenge is to leverage such invest- • Standards are established for student that which is necessary for teaching a lan- ment and interest in order to realize the goal of guage. As a result, very few of the members creating, advancing and perpetuating a profes- focus on the area of Hebrew teaching and sional field that will, in turn, promote mastery Arnee R. Winshall, who pursued graduate studies in learning, and, in any case, their work does not among teachers and spur the highest levels of Developmental Psycholingustics and Language Acquisi- focus on professionals working in pre-kinder- student performance. The professionalization of tion at the University of Chicago and earned a BA in garten through high school education. Hebrew-language teaching and learning should Contrastive Linguistics from Boston University, is the In addition, dialogue among and between be characterized by experts convening to ques- Founding Chair of Hebrew at the Center and the Chair practitioners and academics is largely absent. tion the current status of the discipline; discuss of the Board of Directors of RAVSAK. Arnee also serves on the Executive Committee of JESNA as the lay chair There is no forum in which the creators of cur- issues of concern; collaborate to advance of the Lippman Kanfer Institute and on the board of the rent curricula can share their insights and inter- teacher performance, recruitment and retention; Foundation for Jewish Camp. She is Founding Chair of act with researchers and others working in and ensure the highest levels of student profi- JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School. professional development. Instead, a competi- ciency in the Hebrew language. ■

14 C ONTAC T ebster’s New Universal Unabridged Dic- the field needs to embrace the other two ideal tionary defines pedagogy as “the func- THE ROLE framework models defined by Freeman for foster- W tion or work of a teacher, the art or ing the growth of second-language educators. The science of teaching, and instructional method.” second model outlined by Freeman perceives lan- (Barnes and Noble, 1996) This popular source OF SECOND guage teaching as a “cognition.” This approach weighs its definition of pedagogy toward the requires teachers not only to become experts in more mechanical aspects of teaching. LANGUAGE the available canon of teaching activities but also The field of second views to be knowledgeable about the research that sup- pedagogy in similar ways. In their Teacher’s Hand- ports them. This research relates to both second- book, Judith Shrun and Eileen Gilson refer to PEDAGOGY language development and to learner variables, pedagogy as “teaching methods” or “classroom such as learner’s age, motivation, learning style, by VARDIT RINGVALD activities” (Heinle, 2009), and Helena Curtain strategy, other language learning experiences and and Carol Ann Dahlberg call it “classroom appli- so on. Such knowledge can help teachers select cations” (Languages and Children, Pearson, The best learning pedagogy the most appropriate classroom activities for their 2010). Others, such as Timothy Regan and Terry learners and also transform the teachers so that Osborn, label a teacher’s actions within the class- can emerge only when the they consider themselves able to access infinite room “classroom strategies” (The Foreign Lan- resources to create their own classroom activities. guage Educator in Society, LEA, 2002). language educator is When a teacher understands these theories, he/she Common to the above definitions are refer- can also understand the rationales behind meth- ences to the mechanical aspects of the profession, adequately equipped. odologies and thus make educated decisions about about which teachers tend to be principally con- which methodology to use and when, all the while cerned. Language teachers are apt to view their While the challenge of finding sources for accommodating learners with the process that will lessons through the lens of their classroom activi- activities is now easily met, it remains for us to be most effective in helping them to make prog- ties, becoming anxious and insecure when their empower our teachers with the expertise to ress and to retain the target language. Such a list of activities is insufficiently rich. In my experi- identify the best and most suitable activities and teacher would use this understanding of the ence as a teacher trainer, I have witnessed time to use them wisely in their classrooms. Well- research to create original activities that reflect and again how teachers become impatient in pro- chosen and aptly executed classroom activities language-acquisition processes. fessional development sessions when they are not will maximize the learner’s efforts to achieve Freeman’s third model, which should also be presented with enough ideas for activities that language goals faster and better. If we further adopted by the profession, views teaching as they can immediately apply in upcoming lessons. enhance our teachers’ abilities, coaching them “interpretive.” This model recognizes the fact This concern has translated itself into an enor- to develop their own tools and pedagogy, they that not all learning environments are similar. mous market for educational companies that sell will succeed in catering their activities specifi- Because each educational setting has its own readymade materials for classroom activities, in cally to their learners’ needs. characteristics and demands, teachers need to addition to the myriad of books and websites serv- What we have learned, however, is that lan- rely not only on their knowledge about the needs ing a similar function. The field is literally flooded guage educators can develop the above skills of their learners, but also on how the particular with resources available to all language teachers in only when they are functioning within the conditions of the learning environment can every area, including second-language acquisition. appropriate professional environment. Donald impact learning. These conditions may include Resources for second-language pedagogy Freeman articulated three different models for the school’s mission, the number of contact include two types of teaching activities. The the language-teaching profession (D. Freeman, hours, the number of students in the classroom first emerged as a result of research derived in R. Ellis, “SLA and Language Pedagogy,” Cam- and many other aspects of a given environment, from disciplines such as psychology, linguistics, bridge University Press, 1997). which must be interpreted in order to make education and neurology. The famous Audio The first and most commonly adopted model expert adjustments to the language curriculum Lingual Method (ALM), for example, is based in Jewish education today is called “teaching as and to the classroom activities. on research into the behaviorist model that doing.” This approach reflects the behavioral view, The best classroom activity: explains learning as the relationship between which requires teachers to master a prescribed set 1. is language level appropriate stimuli and response; the Grammar Translation of behaviors along with a set of actions. In this 2. is age appropriate method relies on Noam Chomsky’s theory of context, the underlying assumption is that a 3. is research based Universal Grammar; James J. Asher’s Total Phys- teacher’s learned behavior can lead to the desired 4. is relatively easy to implement ical Response method (TPR) uses studies about student outcome. This behavioral approach fits 5. has a measurable outcome the brain; and the Krashen Monitor Theory has when teachers are viewed as the operators who 6. fits the appropriate part of the lesson inspired practitioners to find ways of creating implement a readymade curriculum in which the 7. fits the language skill that it aims to an anxiety-free learning environment which materials and classroom activities have been dic- reinforce provides comprehensible input to its learners, tated by the creators of the curriculum. This is the teaches the language in a specific order and approach preferred by teachers and institutions 8. can serve students with diverse encourages students to monitor their language that do not want to undertake the responsibility of learning styles. development. The second type of resources are investing in designing a curriculum or teaching a As we contemplate the best ways to teach those created by experienced, successful practi- pedagogy of their own. Adopting this stance, how- Hebrew in our schools, we should note that the tioners, using their intuition and creativity. ever, will not lead to results in which language best learning pedagogy can emerge only when learning is maximized. Language acquisition is a the language educator is adequately equipped. When teachers are knowledgeable about the Vardit Ringvald, Ph.D., is Senior Academic Advisor dynamic process influenced by the many variables theories of second-language acquisition, aware at Hebrew at the Center (HATC) and Professor of of learners and learning contexts that result in Hebrew and Director of the Hebrew Language Pro- learners progressing in the language at different of learner variables and responsive to learning gram at Brandeis University. Along with her col- rates. Teachers need to constantly modify learning conditions and environments, they will be able leagues, she published Brandeis Modern Hebrew materials and classroom actions in order to meet to reflect on their practices and modify their (Brandeis, 2005), which instantly became the stan- the different needs of their learners. In the behav- activities, either during or after the lesson, in dard college Hebrew language textbook in the United ioral view of the profession, allowance is not made order to make the right decisions as they choose States. Dr. Ringvald directed the creation of the Bran- for such accommodation. or create the most effective pedagogies in sup- deis University — Middlebury School of Hebrew. In order to make use of the right pedagogies, port of the language acquisition process. ■

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I often dream of what the graduates of our Hebrew language charter schools will look like 20 years from now. I see them as a vanguard of understanding for Israel and for cultural respect and sharing in general. I see them as part of a new sense of the portability of the Hebrew language outside of Israel. But the work of the Hebrew language charter school movement will be incomplete if it does not find its complement in a broader movement for bringing Hebrew to America. — SARA BERMAN